Pakistan will boycott a vital international conference on the future of Afghanistan next month, it emerged today.

The move is a protest against the Nato air-strikes that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers at the weekend in an apparent case of mistaken identity.

A government official told the AFP news agency: 'The cabinet has decided not to attend the Bonn meeting.'

Pakistan's attendance at the conference had been considered essential to ensure stability in the region stands a chance.

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Healing process: Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan (left) prays with relatives of Major Mujahid Ali Meerani, who was one of 24 soldiers killed in a Nato attack at the weekend, at his home in Naudero

Protesters burn a U.S. flag in Multan yesterday in response to the Nato air-strikes. It was today claimed that Nato forces may have been lured into attacking friendly Pakistani border posts by the Taliban

Meanwhile, preliminary U.S. military
reports reveal that Nato forces may have been lured into attacking
friendly Pakistani border posts in a calculated manoeuvre by the
Taliban.

The attack - which Pakistan claims went on for almost two hours and continued even after soldiers had pleaded with forces to stop - marked the deadliest friendly fire incident with Pakistan since the Afghanistan war began.

A joint U.S.-Afghan patrol was attacked by the Taliban in the early hours of Saturday morning.

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While
pursuing the Taliban in the poorly-marked border area, the patrol is
said to have mistaken one of the Pakistan troop outposts for a militant
encampment and called in a Nato gunship and attack helicopters to open
fire.

U.S. officials,
speaking on condition of anonymity, claim the reports suggest the
Taliban may have deliberately tried to provoke a cross-border fire-fight
that would set back fragile partnerships between the U.S. and Nato
forces and Pakistani soldiers at the ill-defined border.

Student protesters shout anti-American slogans during a protest in Peshawar today. There is widespread anger across Pakistan following the air-strikes

The incident has sent the perpetually difficult U.S.-Pakistan relationship into a tailspin.

General
James Mattis, head of U.S. Central Command, yesterday announced he has
appointed Brigadier General Stephen Clark, an Air Force special
operations officer, to lead the probe into the incident.

Brigadier
General Clark has been ordered to include input from the Nato-led
forces in Afghanistan, as well as representatives from the Afghan and
Pakistani governments.

According
to the U.S. military records described to news agency the Associated
Press, the joint U.S. and Afghan patrol requested back-up after being
hit by mortar and small arms fire by Taliban militants.

Before
responding, the joint U.S.-Afghan patrol first checked with the
Pakistani army, which reported it had no troops in the area, the
military account said.

Some
two hours later, still hunting the insurgents - who had by then
apparently fled in the direction of Pakistani border posts - the U.S.
commander spotted what he thought was a militant encampment, with heavy
weapons mounted on tripods.

The
joint patrol called for the air-strikes at around 2.21am local time,
not realising the encampment was apparently the Pakistani border post.

Heavily guarded: The 24 Pakistani soldiers who were killed in the attacks are buried yesterday

Salute: Pakistani soldiers march among the rows of coffins during yesterday's ceremony

Records show the aerial response included Apache attack helicopters and an AC-130 gunship.

U.S.
officials are working on the assumption the Taliban chose the location
for the first attack to create confusion and draw U.S. and Pakistani
forces into firing on each other, it is claimed.

At
the White House, spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama
considers the Pakistani deaths a tragedy, and said the administration is
determined to investigate.

The
Pentagon released a four-page memo from General Mattis directing
Brigadier General Clark to determine what happened, which units were
involved, which ones did or did not cross the border, how the operation
was coordinated, and what caused the deaths and injuries.

Brigadier
General Clark must also develop recommendations about how border
operations could be improved. His final report must be submitted by
December 23.

The details of
the air-strike emerged as aftershocks were last night reverberating
across the U.S. military and diplomatic landscape, threatening
communications and supply lines for the Afghan war and the success of an
upcoming international conference.

While
U.S. officials expressed regret and sympathy over the cross-border
incident, they are not acknowledging blame, amid conflicting reports
about who fired first.

The
air-strike was politically explosive as well as deadly, coming as U.S.
officials were working to repair relations with the Pakistanis after a
series of major setbacks, including the U.S. commando raid into Pakistan
that killed Osama bin Laden in May.

Attack: Nato helicopters similar to this one opened fire on the Pakistani army checkpoint close to its border with Afghanistan

In
recent weeks, military leaders had begun expressing some optimism that
U.S.-Pakistan military cooperation along the border was beginning to
improve.

Just last Tuesday,
U.S. Army Major General Daniel Allyn told Pentagon reporters that
incidents of firing from Pakistan territory had tapered off somewhat in
recent weeks.

Pentagon press secretary George Little last night stressed the need for a strong military relationship with Pakistan.

He
said: 'The Pakistani government knows our position on that, and that is
we do regret the loss of life in this incident, and we are
investigating it.'

The military fallout began almost immediately.

Pakistan
has blocked vital supply routes for U.S.-led troops in Afghanistan and
demanded Washington vacate a base used by American drones. Pakistan
ordered CIA employees to mothball their drone operation at Pakistan's
Shamsi air base within two weeks, a senior Pakistani official said. The
officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence
matters.

On the diplomatic
front, the Obama administration said Pakistan may pull out of an
international conference on Afghanistan next week as a result of the
incident.

The State
Department also issued a new warning for U.S. citizens in Pakistan. It
said all U.S. government personnel working in Pakistan were being
recalled to Islamabad and warned Americans to be on guard for possible
retaliation.

U.S. citizens in Pakistan are being told to travel in pairs, avoid crowds and demonstrations and keep a low profile.